World Breaking News

‘Rock star’ Archaeopteryx fossil heads for Japan

March 8, 2017

Media captionNHM’s Lorraine Cornish: “For us, it is one of our most important fossils”One of the true “rock stars” of the fossil world is going on tour for the first time. London’s Natural History Museum is sending its specimen of Archaeopteryx – the so-called “first bird” – to Japan. It is travelling to Asia with nearly 300 other treasures from the South Kensington institution’s collections. The limestone slabs that contain the bones of this pivotal creature on the evolutionary line from dinosaurs to birds are considered priceless. They are also very delicate. But museum officials are satisfied the iconic fossil will come to no harm. “The scary thing is that it contains parts that are only one or two millimetres in depth, and so for me going to Tokyo with it is a bit challenging,” concedes Lorraine Cornish, the head of conservation at the NHM. “But we’re doing some exciting touring exhibitions – putting ourselves out there to promote our collections. And if you’re going to do an exhibition about the ‘treasures of the Natural History Museum’ then you kind of have to include this fossil because it really is a treasure.” Image copyright PAUL D STEWART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Image caption Artwork: It’s thought Archaeopteryx could fly – although perhaps not very well Purchased in 1863 for £700 from Germany, where it was unearthed, the fossil is referred to by experts simply as the “London Specimen”. It represents the holotype of the species. In other words, it is the version…more detail

Image copyright Trustees of the British Museum Image caption The Watlington Hoard will remain at the Ashmolean Museum after being purchased for £1.35m The Ashmolean Museum will keep a Viking hoard worth £1.35m after 700 members of the public contributed to its purchase. The hoard, discovered in Watlington in 2015, dates back to the time of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex. He successfully defended his kingdom from Viking raids between 871 and 899. The National Lottery donated £1.05m of the money needed to purchase the hoard - which includes 200 coins. A further £150,000 was raised from Art Fund…... [read more]

Image copyright Trustees of the British Museum Image caption Rembrandt's Asian elephant, c1637, in black chalk and charcoal, is on loan from the British Museum Art by some of the most prominent great masters, including Michelangelo, Matisse and Rembrandt, are on show in Hull as it embarks on its year as the latest UK City of Culture. Lines of Thought is a free exhibition of 70 line drawings spanning more than 500 years from the British Museum's prestigious collection. Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer, Degas, Rubens, Monet, Cézanne and Bridget Riley are also featured. It runs until 28 February. Prof Glenn…... [read more]

David Jones found critical acclaim both as a painter and a poet and wrote an epic poem about World War I, yet little of his work is familiar today. Can two new exhibitions in Sussex return the artist-writer to the mainstream? Thirty years ago, when poet laureate Ted Hughes unveiled a memorial in Westminster Abbey to the British poets of World War I, 16 names appeared on the stone. David Jones' was among them. Compared to the likes of Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen or even Isaac Rosenberg, Jones was a less obvious inclusion. By the time he died in 1974,…... [read more]

A giant work of Aboriginal art that appears on Australian passports will be coming to London as part of a new exhibition at the British Museum. Indigenous Australia: enduring civilisation, which opens in April, is the first in the UK devoted to the history and culture of both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders that extends back 60,000 years. "This is an attempt to tell this extraordinary story - the oldest human story - from a new point of view," said British Museum director Neil MacGregor. Image copyright Trustees of the British Museum Image caption Mask from Mer, Mer, Torres…... [read more]

Image caption Meals served in the hut at Cape Evans were substantial, and could run to several courses A century ago Robert Falcon Scott and his men perished on their return from the South Pole. But what did they eat as they explored one of the harshest places on earth - and did their diet contribute to their deaths? They endured months of freezing temperatures and exhausting sledge-pulling, but life for the men of the Terra Nova expedition was not without comfort, at least not in their wooden hut at Cape Evans. The smell of fresh bread and rhubarb pie…... [read more]

Brand Beckham has had a rocky time of late. At New York fashion week, it fell to the fashion branch of this modern family empire to restore some sparkle, after the hacked emails that threatened David Beckham’s clean cut image. It is a reflection of how serious a player she has become in the fashion industry that – rather than being overshadowed by the scandal – a Victoria Beckham catwalk show is now enough of an event to help shore up the family image. “These are not easy times,” Beckham said during a preview of the collection at her East…... [read more]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has been received by the Queen on the first full day of his official visit to the UK. Mr Li has also been holding talks with David Cameron in Downing Street. It is the first UK visit by a Chinese premier since a row in 2012 over Mr Cameron's meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Mr Li has said he hopes the trip will help to "change misperceptions and misgivings" about his country as well as further business and cultural ties. The UK has said it remains "deeply concerned" about human rights abuses…... [read more]

She has thrown herself into work on her latest fashion collection, after her husband's email scandal recently came to light. But David Beckham and his children rose above the backlash on Sunday as they pulled on their glad rags to support designer Victoria at her much-anticipated New York Fashion Week Show. The former footballer, 41, appeared unfazed by his recent criticism as he left their hotel in the Big Apple to support his wife at her AW17 showcase, with their four children in tow. Scroll down for video United front: David Beckham and his children rose above recent backlash on…... [read more]

INSSTAGRAM • GC IMAGES David Beckham has stepped out with his children in New York as Victoria prepares for Fashion WeekDavid has been caught up in a scandalous email hacking controversy in the past couple of weeks, but looks to have put that one side to enjoy a family day out with his kids. The 41-year-old former England captain shared an adorable snap with his five-year-old daughter Harper at the Natural History Museum. In the picture, Harper gently put her hand out for a tiny butterfly resting on her dads hand. "Natural History Museum.. The Butterfly Room if you haven't…... [read more]